Jake Plummer Shares Views On Manning, Tebow

DENVER (CBS4) – Jake Plummer was 39-15 as the Denver Broncos starting quarterback before losing his job to Jay Cutler. Plummer then just walked away from the game, which not many athletes do when they are still in their prime.

CBS4’s Vic Lombardi caught up with Plummer last week and sat down with him for a one-on-one interview. His first question was if he missed playing the game — not the fame and the money — but the actual game.

“That’s hard to say. Growing up that’s all I did was compete. You’re missing that feeling of fans that believe, the energy that’s building and the momentum that’s starts to build; to never give up and to fight and win, even against all odds,” Plummer said. “When you get guys believing in you — that feeling — you miss that like crazy.”

Plummer is still popular in Denver as many fans thought he got a raw deal with he lost the starting job.

“In that exact moment it was hard because I wasn’t slighted by anybody in the town. It wasn’t the town’s decision, it was the head coach’s decision; and they believed the head coach,” he said. “(Mike) Shanahan had a track record that proved he could win … of course I was mad and I wanted to take off right then. I didn’t even want to be there for the end of it.”

Plummer said he knows there are a lot of great fans in Denver.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without all of their energy and all of their support. I saw it happen with Tim Tebow. When someone’s down and against all odds and people believe, it’s a powerful thing. I know I had a lot of great fans who believed in me.”

Lombardi asked Plummer if he thinks Tebow can succeed in New York.

“What a stage to succeed one. New York is not the easiest to place to play … you never know. The kid works hard, he believes in himself; his teammates buy into what he believes in … bottom line, if you want to win and your teammates believe in you, you’re going to have success.”

Plummer said he’s also a big Peyton Manning fan.

“I’ve always marveled at his ability to go out on the field when there’s so much going on and watching him for the past five years,” he said. “I’ve been in those situations and the guy is just as cool as a cat. I never felt how he looks.”

Lombardi asked Plummer if he gave him a helmet and shoulder pads if he could go out and play an NFL game this week.